Location exhibitions

Oblong Contemporary is pleased to present Flor Salina, the latest exhibition by Cveto Marsič, now on view in Dubai. The exhibition introduces a series of paintings inspired by the quiet geometries and mineral landscapes of salt fields. The series explores the visual language of salt landscapes, where mineral formations, tidal patterns and natural crystallization generate abstract geometries that resemble architectural structures. Through a restrained palette and layered textures, the works evoke the fragile balance between natural processes and human perception.

The title Flor Salina, meaning “salt blossom,” refers to the delicate crystalline formations that appear on the surface of evaporating salt pans. In coastal salt fields, these formations emerge gradually as water recedes, producing intricate patterns of repetition and variation that resemble organic growth. The compositions in this series translate that phenomenon into visual fields that oscillate between landscape, cartography and abstraction.

Each work in the series carries a poetic reference connected to salt culture and maritime geography — from “Salt Nest” and “Poet’s Nest” to “Flor Salina” and “Restos de Sal.” These titles evoke the ancient relationship between human civilization and salt: a material historically associated with trade routes, preservation, ritual and survival.

Visually, the works present a dialogue between structure and fluidity. Lines and textures resemble aerial views of salt pans, tidal channels and mineral deposits. The surfaces appear almost geological, as if the viewer were observing a terrain shaped slowly by time, water and evaporation.

Part of the series was developed in the Quiet Antresol, the studio space of Oblong Contemporary in Dubai, where the artist worked in close dialogue with the gallery environment. The elevated studio offered a space for contemplation and experimentation, allowing the works to evolve through observation, repetition and the slow layering of surfaces that echo the natural processes of crystallization and sedimentation.

Cveto Marsič

Cveto Marsič is a Slovenian painter known for his contemplative landscapes and meditative visual language. His work often explores the relationship between nature, memory and perception, translating observations of the natural world into subtle abstract compositions. Over the years, Marsič has developed a distinctive painterly vocabulary rooted in repetition, texture and quiet tonal transitions.

He has exhibited extensively in Europe and internationally, with works held in numerous public and private collections. Marsič’s practice moves between landscape and abstraction, often inspired by specific environments — coastal terrains, geological formations and remote natural settings — which he transforms into poetic visual fields that invite slow observation and reflection.

Through his restrained palette and rhythmic compositions, Marsič creates spaces that feel both familiar and timeless, suggesting landscapes shaped as much by memory and atmosphere as by geography.

Oblong Contemporary Art Gallery is pleased to present Ancestry, an exhibition by Juliet Makhlouf featuring over thirty new paintings that reflect the artist’s sustained engagement with memory, ancestry, and shared cultural heritage.

Born in Syria in 1957 and currently based in Dubai, Makhlouf graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Graphic Department, at the University of Damascus in 1981, marking the beginning of a long and dedicated artistic career. Alongside her studio practice, she has worked extensively as an art educator in Syria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, contributing significantly to arts education across the region.

Her work has been included in numerous prominent exhibitions, including several editions of the General Exhibition of Fine Arts in Sharjah between 1990 and 1995, and the group exhibition Eye of All Colors at the Alliance Française in 1996. Her solo exhibitions span Dubai, Sharjah, Damascus, and Madrid, including the internationally recognized En El Paraíso Imposible at the Arabic-Syrian Cultural Center in Madrid. In 2015, she presented her first solo exhibition in Dubai, revealing a shift toward geometric abstraction and optical structures that continues to define her visual language today.

Within Ancestry, Makhlouf approaches ancestry not as a distant past, but as a living presence. To admire one’s ancestors is to pay tribute to their enduring contributions — legacies that cannot be erased. Despite the destruction that has marked both ancient and contemporary histories, the works and traces that have survived remain imbued with beauty, meaning, and human depth. Their stories and influence have crossed all borders, extending to humanity as a whole.

Echoes of early civilizations appear as subtle references within the exhibition — from the memory of clay tablets that once recorded systems of trade, communication, and law, to foundational theological narratives, among which the Epic of Gilgamesh stands as a profound example. These are not presented as historical illustrations, but as cultural traces — fragments of knowledge and belief that continue to shape collective identity.

The story of Syria cannot be separated from that of the wider Arab world. Across centuries, shared events have shaped common values and collective memory. Our ancestors embody this memory, along with a transformative contribution to faith, philosophy, and human thought emerging from this region. Through abstraction, structure, and layered form, Makhlouf’s works invite reflection on continuity, resilience, and the enduring power of cultural memory — reminding us that heritage is not fixed in the past, but remains active within the present.

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Exhibitions

DIFC Sculpture park 2026

Flor Salina by Cveto Marsic

Juliet Makhlouf: Ancestry

Christmas Gift Guide Edit from Oblong Contemporary

SWEET FACES: Silvio Porzionato/Laurence Jenkell

Suhov: Images of the Unconscious

Mr. Brainwash Returns: Exclusive New Exhibition at Oblong Contemporary Gallery

The Artistic Journey of Abol Atighetchi

Mr. Brainwash, Art Exhibition

Flavio Lucchini, HAIR

Metamorphosis

The Story of Cveto Marsic

"Women Expressions": The Exhibition Celebrating Female Artists

Not Only Digital

DIFC Sculpture Park 2023

Fragments of Colour

GOLD

DUBAI DESIGN WEEK

Moody Timeless

Faceless

Face to Face

The Story of ABOL

Resilient Intuition

MOVEMENT

The Adventures of Pinocchio

Discovering the Female Universe: From Art to Jewellery

NEW ERA

Group Show

Eternally Pop

Abyss of Bliss

Manu Alguerò - The Art of Explosion

From Fashion to Art

Hyper - Mobiles

Carla Tolomeo : Beyond the Visual | Exhibition & Talk

The Nascence

Oblong Dubai Art Gallery Expansion

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